The Chambers doing

Chapter 2 - The Hospital Wing

When they had arrived at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey had immediately started checking all three of them over. While Ron had been allowed to go straight away as he wasn't really injured, the healer had kept both Harry and Ginny overnight, Harry to make sure there were no side effects from the Basilisk venom and Ginny because of the shock she had just experienced. So it was that, after saying goodbye to Harry, Ginny and a non-responsive Hermione, Ron left for Gryffindor tower to tell everyone the news, followed shortly by Mr and Mrs Weasley who were staying in a nearby guest suite and being joined by Bill and Charlie in the morning.

Later that evening, when Madam Pomfrey had done her final round and gone off to bed, Harry once again heard muffled crying from the next bed. Putting a silencing charm on the office door - something he had learned from Mr Weasley in Dumbledore's office - he lit the room up and crept over to Ginny's bed.

Climbing in, he once again pulled her into his arms and started whispering to her, calming her down. They soon both fell asleep in each other's arms.

They woke in the morning to see the bright, twinkling eye of Professor Dumbledore peering at them. Blushing, they started moving apart, but he held up a hand to stop them and spoke quietly, "Don't bother, indeed I believe it may be necessary for you to be in close contact most of the time at the moment, but we shall see."

Before Harry had a chance to ask what he meant, Madam Pomfrey entered the ward and spotted them. "What on earth are you doing in her bed young man? Come on, get out..."

"Ah Poppy, these two students have my permission to be sharing a bed, and I shall be back with my reasoning later, but for now I am afraid I must borrow young Mr Potter for a few minutes to ask him some questions in my office."

"If you insist headmaster but he really should be resting."

"I will bring him back as soon as we are finished. Shall we go?"

"Okay, but Ginny is coming too. I won't leave her alone at the moment." Harry replied.

"That will be fine but we must get going." Dumbledore said as he left for his office, Harry and Ginny clambering out of bed and following behind. Just as they left the hospital wing Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and leaning over, whispered "I said I wouldn't leave you, I would always be here for you didn't I?"

"Yes, and thank you, for everything." She replied quietly, Harry's words eliciting a small smile from the girl.

When reached his office, Dumbledore once again conjured two more chairs, the ones from the afternoon before having faded as nothing conjured out of nothing could exist for more than a few hours, before sitting down at his desk. However when Harry and Ginny took the offered seats, they merged into one, causing Dumbledore to mutter "interesting, very interesting" under his breath. However, once again he changed the subject before Harry could ask what he meant. Ginny was once again preoccupied with looking down into her lap to notice anything going on around her except Harry, who once again wrapped an arm round her shoulders.

"I must once again impose upon you two to ask a little more about this diary." Dumbledore started. "I understand that this must be a horrible topic for you Ms Weasley but I believe it should be easier with Mr Potter present, who may also need to answer his own questions."

Harry replied for both of them, as Ginny had once again broken down to tears and turned into his shoulder for comfort, "What is it you want to know that couldn't wait, as you can see it is a rather sore topic for Ginny and I would rather avoid upsetting her if possible"

"I don't need to ask much, just what sort of things he told you Ms Weasley when you wrote in it?"

Ginny looked awful, but she slowly looked up into Harry's eyes before across at the Headmaster and quickly answering, in a quiet, scared tone, "He said he understood my pain, no one paying any attention to me, and would be my friend, always looking after me when I was upset. I poured my soul out to him, and he would always respond in the kindest manner possible, I had no idea at the time who it was..."

Harry listened to her speak, and as she broke off, he made her look into his eyes instead of curling back into his shoulder, as he shared his own experiences. "None of us knew who he was Gin, not even I did, I even trusted him to an extent." Then looking at Dumbledore and allowing Ginny to curl back up, "He showed me how Hagrid was framed for letting the monster loose because of the acromantula, and expelled because of it. But when I went to question Hagrid, and then later on Aragog - never want to meet him again - I realised there was no way it could have been him, and started doubting what Tom had told me."

"Yes, Hagrid's involvement was an unfortunate misunderstanding, in fact I may be able to appeal to the Board of Governors to allow him his wand back so he can complete his schooling. But next, what actually happened when you stabbed the diary?"

"He was overly confident of himself, as if nothing could kill him, but when I stabbed it he let out an unearthly scream before combusting into dust on the ground, and then the black goo you see on the diary oozed out of it, before Ginny woke back up."

Once again, Dumbledore returned to muttering, "It does indeed sound like a Horcrux."

Harry decided to ignore this odd statement for now, but did take in the fact that Dumbledore's eye had stopped twinkling. Instead he went back to an earlier statement the Professor had made - "Um, professor, earlier you said you though we may have to be in close contact most the time, and then you weren't surprised when two chairs merged together to make a sofa. I was wondering what you suspected what happening between us?"

"Alas, I cannot answer this question today. I must first do some research but you will be the first to know what I find out. But now, I must ask if you could provide a copy of your memory for the event, and then I must speak to your parents."

After instructing Harry on how to leave the memory in the pensieve, he showed them out the door.

Just before they left, Harry spotted Lucius Malfoy walking down a corridor, and stepped back into the office, asking for the diary. Dumbledore looked a little surprised by the request, but all became clear when he presented it to Lucius Malfoy in a sock, which was thrown over his shoulder and caught by Dobby the house elf. After watching this scene play out, he returned to his office, intent on asking Mr and Mrs Weasley up there as soon as possible. But first, he had to consider how to explain to Madam Pomfrey that it was for the greater good for two students to share a bed. This week was not going well so far, and it was only Tuesday.